Santiago Abascal closed his two-week pre-campaign sprint in Huesca on Thursday night, framing the upcoming November 29 general election not as a standard democratic contest, but as a fight against what he characterized as a “criminal mafia.”
Speaking to a crowd of approximately 1,000 people at the Palacio de Congresos, with another 300 supporters unable to enter the venue, the Vox leader declared that “in Spain there is no normal Government, there is a criminal, lying and corrupt mafia.” He argued that the current administration has destroyed sectors including housing, healthcare, and the electrical grid, asserting that the upcoming vote represents the “elections of our lives.” According to RTVE, Abascal called for a “massive mobilization” to overcome what he described as the government’s attempts to exercise violence and commit fraud to maintain power.
He also claimed without evidence that the government “has killed people in Adamuz because the money for the tracks went to something else.”
Abascal utilized the rally to launch attacks on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, stating that the leader should not be running for re-election but instead “should have been sitting on a bench, assuming responsibilities,” according to the Diario del Alto Aragón.
He expressed a desire for the UCO to bring those responsible for irregularities to justice, including “the boss of all of them, who is named Pedro Sánchez.” The rally coincided with news of the UCO entering the Ministry of Equality.
Abascal pledged that if he reaches government, the UCO would not need to enter that ministry because he intends to eliminate it, arguing that equality is already guaranteed under the Constitution.
Abascal addressed the rising cost of living, noting difficulties in paying for groceries, school fees, car maintenance, and medical insurance.
He also claimed that “the price of housing has increased by 74%, rents by 50% and there are 85% of young people in Spain who have not been able to emancipate themselves.” Regarding a recent general strike, he dismissed it as a “resounding failure” and a political strategy, adding, “but they have been governing for eight years, there are hundreds of evictions every year and they have only remembered one lady, whom they have used politically,” referring to the death of a woman named Maricarmen.
The event also served as a platform for Abascal to address the economic difficulties facing Spanish families. He highlighted the case of a three-year-old girl from Huesca with a serious illness, contrasting her family’s struggle for public aid with state funds currently allocated to the maintenance of individuals who have entered Ceuta illegally. “That is national priority. That is defending your own people,” he said, as reported by the party’s official site.
Alejandro Nolasco, Vice President of the Government of Aragon, criticized the central government for the arrival of “more than fifty illegal immigrants in Aragon in the last few hours.” Meanwhile, candidate Ester Blanco claimed they were brought “in secret” to a center in Sabiñánigo and stated, “Santiago Abascal is the one who can transform hope into a reality for Spain.”
While Abascal spent the past 15 days visiting 22 provinces and holding over 25 campaign events, the political climate remains polarized. It is not yet known if the electorate will respond to his call for a “massive mobilization” or if the ongoing investigations into government officials will impact the final vote tally.
